Research group
Lancet Countdown: Health and Climate Change in Europe
The 2015 Lancet Commission concluded, that “tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century “and highlighted the need to monitor health impacts of climate change to inform policy makers and support health professionals.
In 2016, The Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change began to address these gaps by identifying areas to track and monitor.
The Countdown is published annually in the high-impact medical journal The Lancet and is supported by the politically and financially independent Wellcome Trust. The Lancet Countdown is hosted by University College London and involves more than 279 leading experts from around the world.
The Lancet Countdown initiative has grown over the years and established six regional centers around the world.
One of these was established in Europe in 2021. The European regional center is now co-chaired by Prof. Cathryn Tonne of the Barcelona Global Health Institute and Prof. Joacim Rocklöv of the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health.
Our focus
The Lancet Countdown Europe focuses on developing open, transparent, and rigorous indicators to track the impact of climate change on population health in the region. In addition it actively seeks to disseminate its findings and inform and engage with decision-makers.
The Lancet Countdown Europe works with local and regional stakeholders, such as the European Environment Agency and the World Health Organisation Europe, to ensure that health is at the heart of how of decision-makers respond to climate change.
This international, interdisciplinary research initiative monitors:
Our projects
Lancet Countdown Europe report 2025-2029
Co-leadership of the Lancet Countdown Europe report 2025-2029. Coordinating and writing the annual scientific indicator report on climate change and health in Europe. Support regional capacity building on climate change and health monitoring; dissemination of the report findings to relevant stakeholders, decision-makers and the public.
Heat impact on healthcare
Estimating heat impact on healthcare services and valuing it monetarily nationwide in Germany. Utilizing nationally representative sample of longitudinal individual statuary health insurance data together with temperature data, the health and economic burden attributable to heat is estimated with state-of-the art epidemiological methods.
Our publications
The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: unprecedented warming demands unprecedented action
van Daalen, Kim R et al. The Lancet Public Health, Volume 9, Issue 7, e495 – e522, DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00055-0
The 2022 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: towards a climate resilient future
van Daalen, Kim R et al. // The Lancet Public Health, Volume 7, Issue 11, e942 – e965
Tracking progress on health and climate change in Europe
Romanello, Marina et al. // The Lancet Public Health, Volume 6, Issue 11, e858 – e865
The Impact of Climate on Negative Sentiments: An Analysis of Human Expressions on the X Platform in Germany
Al-Ahdal TM, Barman S, Dafka S, Alahmad B, Bärnighausen T, Gertz M, Rocklöv J. // Available at SSRN 4828022.
Lancet Countdown Europe group leader
Dr. Hedi Katre Kriit
Hedi is a research fellow and leads the Lancet Countdown Climate Change and Health Europe research group. She holds a master’s degree in public health and economics and her doctoral thesis focused on the health and economic effects of sustainable transport solutions.
Her research interests include environmental epidemiology, urban health and the impacts of climate change on population health.
hedi.kriit (at) uni-heidelberg.de